Inconceivable!
What was that?
Between call after call (was that Jamie St. Laurent tonight?), and shot after shot, this one would make you dizzy.
It's one thing to do nothing against Philadelphia for 30 minutes and come back. It's another to do it against a much healthier Hershey team, particularly when they didn't look like they belonged on the same ice for the first period.
As Wade Dubielewicz noted, Bridgeport got pucks to the net, got traffic, and "got some ugly ones." Which is what they've been talking about having to get for, what, 40 games or so.
The other end is going to take some work. They have allowed at least 34 shots in every game since New Year's Eve. Even with everything that has changed since then, they're still allowing too much. One day -- and but for a post or two, it could have been this day -- it will cost them.
But yeah. They're being outshot 45-13 with 12 minutes left, and they trail only 3-2, and they pull it out.
There are games that restore your faith, that make you believe again in the mind-boggling possibilities of this sport, that captivate you all over again.
This wasn't one of them. This one, you just shake your head in wonder. Sometimes, crazy stuff happens right in front of you.
As overheard in the dressing room tonight, that stuff includes larceny. They ran to the bus quickly in case someone called to report those two points stolen.
LINEUPS
BRIDGEPORT
F: Tambellini (A)-Nielsen-Nilsson
Marjamaki-Nokelainen-Pitton
Comeau-Regier-Nolan
Ferraro/Boguniecki
D: Fata-Wotton (C)
Mitchell-Fraser
Malec-Rourke (A)
HERSHEY
F: Fleischmann-Tenute-Giroux
Wiseman-Klepis-Fehr
Laing (A)-Steckel (A)-Bourque
Robitaille-Hendricks-(Wilson-scratch)
D: Sloan-Arsene (A)
Byrne-Helbling
Hunt-Busenburg
Bridgeport was 18-18-2-2 last year at the midpoint, but that's deceiving because of a coin flip: Last year's Tigers had gone to only three shootouts at this point, winning just one, while this year's has won five in the bonus round. Translate the shootouts back to ties, and this team is 13-18-9. (Or, point-for-the-OTL style, 13-17-9-1.)
Dubielewicz's 51 saves break Dieter Kochan's team record of 49, but Kochan still holds the mark for saves in regulation.
The Malec-Giroux fight outta nowhere -- I think everyone up here was looking down, and the video zoomed in on the celebration and misses the start of the fight -- is Bridgeport's 19th this year. That tops last year's 18.
I spend most of my time immediately after games like this trying to put the top on my story, and then praying my computer works no later than the second or third time. Here, that allows me to hear the start of Bruce Boudreau's press conference, which they run on the video board.* And tonight, it began with Bruce saying he had a read on Dubielewicz, but the first few shooters didn't use it. "I think I'm pretty sharp on how to read a goalie," Boudreau said. Well, maybe, but how many of the top 35 AHL scoring seasons in history have you had?**
Boudreau on Dubielewicz, courtesy of Tim Leone of the Patriot News: "You knew the goalie was getting hotter and hotter. I've faced Dubliewicz for years now and I've seen him when he gets like this. He's pretty tough to beat."
Campoli will supposedly join the team for practice Monday, and the week to come will be played by ear, said Dan Marshall. The Isles are back to work Friday in Atlanta, so assuming he does go back -- which Greg Logan's story in Newsday seemed to make clear -- the only game in question would be Wednesday's.
Koharski hat trick: Jamie Monday, Terry Friday, Jamie tonight. Hershey fans booed the announcement of the ref. They booed the arrival of the ref.
Kiddie PSA: The Sound Tigers are running a "youth hockey shootout next week. "All mite, squirt, pee wee and bantam players currently enrolled in a Connecticut Hockey Conference program are eligible to compete in a regional shootout competition (at local rinks)." See the link for details if you're so inclined (but kids, ask your parents' permiss... hey, wait, what are you doing reading this?)
*-Yeah, our deadlines in this town would be FUN.
**-A: Three, including Nos. 7, 19 and 32 all-time.
Between call after call (was that Jamie St. Laurent tonight?), and shot after shot, this one would make you dizzy.
It's one thing to do nothing against Philadelphia for 30 minutes and come back. It's another to do it against a much healthier Hershey team, particularly when they didn't look like they belonged on the same ice for the first period.
As Wade Dubielewicz noted, Bridgeport got pucks to the net, got traffic, and "got some ugly ones." Which is what they've been talking about having to get for, what, 40 games or so.
The other end is going to take some work. They have allowed at least 34 shots in every game since New Year's Eve. Even with everything that has changed since then, they're still allowing too much. One day -- and but for a post or two, it could have been this day -- it will cost them.
But yeah. They're being outshot 45-13 with 12 minutes left, and they trail only 3-2, and they pull it out.
There are games that restore your faith, that make you believe again in the mind-boggling possibilities of this sport, that captivate you all over again.
This wasn't one of them. This one, you just shake your head in wonder. Sometimes, crazy stuff happens right in front of you.
As overheard in the dressing room tonight, that stuff includes larceny. They ran to the bus quickly in case someone called to report those two points stolen.
LINEUPS
BRIDGEPORT
F: Tambellini (A)-Nielsen-Nilsson
Marjamaki-Nokelainen-Pitton
Comeau-Regier-Nolan
Ferraro/Boguniecki
D: Fata-Wotton (C)
Mitchell-Fraser
Malec-Rourke (A)
HERSHEY
F: Fleischmann-Tenute-Giroux
Wiseman-Klepis-Fehr
Laing (A)-Steckel (A)-Bourque
Robitaille-Hendricks-(Wilson-scratch)
D: Sloan-Arsene (A)
Byrne-Helbling
Hunt-Busenburg
Bridgeport was 18-18-2-2 last year at the midpoint, but that's deceiving because of a coin flip: Last year's Tigers had gone to only three shootouts at this point, winning just one, while this year's has won five in the bonus round. Translate the shootouts back to ties, and this team is 13-18-9. (Or, point-for-the-OTL style, 13-17-9-1.)
Dubielewicz's 51 saves break Dieter Kochan's team record of 49, but Kochan still holds the mark for saves in regulation.
The Malec-Giroux fight outta nowhere -- I think everyone up here was looking down, and the video zoomed in on the celebration and misses the start of the fight -- is Bridgeport's 19th this year. That tops last year's 18.
I spend most of my time immediately after games like this trying to put the top on my story, and then praying my computer works no later than the second or third time. Here, that allows me to hear the start of Bruce Boudreau's press conference, which they run on the video board.* And tonight, it began with Bruce saying he had a read on Dubielewicz, but the first few shooters didn't use it. "I think I'm pretty sharp on how to read a goalie," Boudreau said. Well, maybe, but how many of the top 35 AHL scoring seasons in history have you had?**
Boudreau on Dubielewicz, courtesy of Tim Leone of the Patriot News: "You knew the goalie was getting hotter and hotter. I've faced Dubliewicz for years now and I've seen him when he gets like this. He's pretty tough to beat."
Campoli will supposedly join the team for practice Monday, and the week to come will be played by ear, said Dan Marshall. The Isles are back to work Friday in Atlanta, so assuming he does go back -- which Greg Logan's story in Newsday seemed to make clear -- the only game in question would be Wednesday's.
Koharski hat trick: Jamie Monday, Terry Friday, Jamie tonight. Hershey fans booed the announcement of the ref. They booed the arrival of the ref.
Kiddie PSA: The Sound Tigers are running a "youth hockey shootout next week. "All mite, squirt, pee wee and bantam players currently enrolled in a Connecticut Hockey Conference program are eligible to compete in a regional shootout competition (at local rinks)." See the link for details if you're so inclined (but kids, ask your parents' permiss... hey, wait, what are you doing reading this?)
*-Yeah, our deadlines in this town would be FUN.
**-A: Three, including Nos. 7, 19 and 32 all-time.
posted by Fornabaio at
11:04 PM
3 Comments:
These tough games that we have pulled out wins go on Dubie's shoulders. If we had Thompson or Mole between the pipes I seriously doubt it would be the same outcome. Lets keep our fingers crossed Dubie can make it the rest of the way.
By
Anonymous, at 6:56 AM
Being at the game, I don't know how we pulled it out after the way the 1st period went. Pregame they had Thompson as the starter on the video board.
I heard some of Bruce Boudreau's press conference and it sounded like he was upset with his 1st two shooters who did the oppisite of what he told them to do. As for the goalie change, he wasn't happy with the way Fata ran into him and injured him. After seeing the replay, it looked like he was charging to the net but was hip checked into goalie.
This game sort of reminds me of the 1st game in Hershey when we stole the win in the shootout also.
By
DaveBrz, at 8:25 AM
San Antonio is about to start a tough run. With the annual San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo taking over the AT&T Center, the Rampage kick off a 16-game, 28-day road odyssey covering nearly 7,500 miles on Thursday night with a game against the Marlies at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto.
By
Anonymous, at 8:46 PM
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